file-sharing

Synch files across multiple machines easily and concurrently

Dropbox for Mac is a Web-based storage location that syncs with specified files or folders on your Mac, allowing you to access them from anywhere. If you have two or more machines using the same Dropbox, changes to a Dropbox-tagged file will be synced on the other devices. Working across Mac, Linux, and Windows, Dropbox for Mac lets you access files even when miles away from your main machine (and even when its off).

To use Dropbox for Mac you need an account, although setting one up is easy. A free account is available that lets you sync 2GB. The … Read more

MegaUpload rises from the dead as Mega

MegaUpload founder Kim DotCom has proven to be unstoppable. After the U.S. government's major takedown of the cloud-storage service, which came with charges of racketeering, copyright infringement, money laundering, and more, DotCom has escaped extradition to the U.S. for now and was given a formal apology by New Zealand's prime minister.

Emboldened, DotCom has announced that he is building a new file-sharing site called Mega. According to Wired, this new site will work slightly different than MegaUpload but will still let users upload, store, and share data files. DotCom also intends to make it raid-proof.

"… Read more

Mount network shares privately in OS X

In order to mount a shared network folder in OS X, in general you first open a Finder window, where you will see a list of systems that are broadcasting network services, and upon clicking them you can provide authentication information to connect and mount their available shares.

When you mount a shared folder in this manner, the system uses a global mount point (within the hidden /Volumes directory at the root of the boot drive) to access the shared folder. This mount point can be seen by selecting Go to Folder from the Finder's Go menu and then … Read more

Get a free 15GB cloud-storage account from 4Sync

Cloud-storage vendors are falling all over themselves to attract new customers.

Dropbox, by far the most popular, offers newcomers freebie accounts with 2GB of space. SugarSync raises the bar to 5GB, while Microsoft ponies up 7GB for its SkyDrive service.

If you're looking for even more cloud storage and want to keep your wallet closed, check out 4Sync. The company, just out of beta, currently offers 15GB of cloud storage free of charge.

True to its name, 4Sync promises to keep all your files in sync across all your devices: laptop, desktop, tablet, and smartphone. But unlike, say, Dropbox … Read more

Swedish ISP confirms police raid targeted illegal file-sharing

Swedish police raided Web host PRQ earlier this week but it wasn't clear what they were after. Now, the ISP's owner is saying that the authorities seized servers for Web sites that allegedly dealt in illegal file-sharing.

According to TorrentFreak, police took three servers -- one belonged to one of Sweden's popular torrent sites called Tankafetast, another to an alleged Android app piracy site called Appbucket. It's unclear what was on the third server.

On Monday, the authorities targeted PRQ, which is known for hosting some of the most popular outlaw sites on the Internet. Former … Read more

How to connect to a Windows machine from OS X

While the default and most supported file-sharing protocol in OS X is AFP (Apple Filing Protocol), Apple does include support for sharing files with Windows machines using the SMB (server message block) protocol. With OS X being a Unix-based system, Apple initially included the popular open-source Samba suite as the means for doing this, but because of licensing violations had to replace it with its own SMB implementation.

Regardless of the specifics of the SMB implementation, the methods by which you can connect to Windows machines should be the same throughout the various versions of OS X:

Use Bonjour services … Read more

Swedish police raid former Web host for Pirate Bay, Wikileaks

The Swedish police seem to be going straight to the source in their battle against copyright infringement. According to Forbes, the country's authorities raided the Stolckholm-based Web host PRQ, which is known for hosting some of the most popular outlaw sites on the Internet, including the Pirate Bay, Wikileaks, the North America Man-Boy Love Association, Pedophile.se, and the Chechen rebel site Kavkaz Central.

It's unclear why police raided PRQ, but its owner Mikael Viborg told the Swedish news outlet Nyheter24 that he believes the investigation had to do with intellectual property violations, according to TorrentFreak. Viborg also … Read more

Facebook groups gets Dropbox file-sharing option

Facebook users can now share their Dropbox-stored files from inside their Facebook groups, the cloud storage service announced today.

The two companies have partnered up to roll out the new integration today. Soon, all users will have the Dropbox option in their groups.

"Now you can share notes with your study group, add the latest game schedule to your basketball team's group, or post a birthday video to your family's group at lightning speed from wherever you are," Dropbox engineer Chris Varenhorst wrote in a blog post.

To share a file, users can click on the &… Read more

Share files with one click and view in the browser with JumpShare

File sharing is much in demand these days, and it feels as if there are more services or options popping up than anyone could keep up with easily. Those looking for something that is dead simple on both ends should check out JumpShare, which is just about as easy as possible to use. Here's how it works: 

Point your browser to JumpShare. Drag and drop any file into the window to start. (You can also click the button marked "Select files to share.")  The files are then uploaded and ready to go. You have … Read more